Ideas We Should Steal: Homesharing

In Los Angeles, seniors finding themselves unable to pay rising rents on fixed incomes and those attempting to age in place in need of some extra help are being paired together in a new home share program. Organizations that help develop pairing are growing in the area as needs increase, but it isn't always the best solution for everyone.

The city of Chamberlain, South Dakota, purchased 60 acres of land for $900,000 and gave away buildable lots through a lottery system to anyone who promised to construct a home within 18 months. The city invested $4 million in taxpayer funds and grants to install roads, sewer, water lines, and other infrastructure, creating the Smokey Groves subdivision with 30 housing lots and 11 commercial lots. Since 2018, seven homes have been built in the subdivision. The municipal investment has strengthened the city's tax base while addressing housing shortages that prevented growth.

Community First Village offers permanent affordable housing to people who are chronically homeless. The Village houses about 400 residents in tiny homes, while also providing a sense of community, including a convenience store, community garden, medical clinic and chapel. Community First Village is set to add nearly 2,000 homes across three locations and has also inspired several similar housing villages across the country.

Priya Living is an elder-living community focused on Indian culture. Priya Living has four locations throughout the state and is planning to expand in Michigan and Texas. Rent in the condo-style units ranges from $2,000 to $3,000 a month and currently serves over 530 people. This culture-focused community helps the aging population fight loneliness and find a sense of community with people they can relate to through activities and programming like yoga, movie screenings and down time to chat.

The CHN Housing Partners’ lease-purchase program builds affordable homes for low-income individuals to rent. Residents live and pay rent in the homes for 15 years while taking homeownership and financial counseling courses to equip them with the knowledge and skills necessary to become homeowners. Over the past 30 years, CHN has built more than 1,700 lease-purchase homes and more than 1,600 of them have been sold to owner-occupants.

S.U.C.C.E.S.S. is an immigrant services agency that connects immigrants with the resources they need to adjust to life in Canada. The group helps an average of 73,000 people each year from more than 150 countries and provides assistance in finding affordable housing, English language training, career and social services and accessing care for seniors.

Shacks on Racks relocates houses and works to make homeownership more accessible to area workers. Since starting in 2016, the non-profit has relocated 21 houses. For those 21 saved houses, Shacks on Racks estimates they’ve spared landfills more than 1.2 million pounds of waste.

Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) provides care to elders including adult day care, home health care and supplies like bed rails, eyeglasses and access to medications, while simultaneously providing respite to family caregivers. Studies show PACE program participants have lower rates of hospital use and shorter lengths of stay compared to those participating in other programs or opting for general nursing home care. The PACE centers in Metro Detroit serve 1,600 adults across its seven centers. Statewide, there are 14 active PACE programs across 24 centers.

University-based retirement communities help to foster intergenerational connections between younger and older generations. Some of these facilities are simply developments near colleges, while others are physically on-campus. Along with building connections, these programs help fight feelings of loneliness among the older population and break down stigmas young people may hold about the elderly.

Homestead Community Land Trust and the local Habitat for Humanity specialize in helping lower-income residents become homeowners. They have portfolios of homes available to lower-income residents who make less than 80% of the area median income. To date, the community land trust model has been implemented at a small scale relative to the need and Habitat plans to build almost 300 new homes in the coming years.